• MILESTONE WATCH: Federer is bidding for his 950th career win today. The 32 year old, who is also looking to reach the 50th ATP Masters 1000 SF of his career, goes up against Jo-Wilfried Tsonga for the 15th time with the Swiss leading their FedEx H2H series 10-4. If Federer wins today, he will become the third player in the Open Era to reach 950 wins after Jimmy Connors (1253) and Ivan Lendl (1071). Federer tops the 2014 wins leaderboard with 26 victories to his name this year.

• SEMI-FINAL BID: Garcia-Lopez, who takes an 0-5 record into his meeting with Djokovic today, is looking to reach his first Masters 1000 SF. His only previous QF appearance at this level came in Shanghai in 2010 (d. No. 11 Roddick & No. 7 Berdych, l. to Djokovic in the QF).

• Wawrinka reached the Monte-Carlo QF for the fourth time and for the third year in succession when Nicolas Almagro withdrew ahead of their 3R clash with a left foot injury. The Swiss didn’t face a single BP as he cruised past Marin Cilic 6-0, 6-2 in his opening match.
• Wawrinka is making his seventh appearance in Monte-Carlo (13-6). His best showing came in 2009 when he advanced to the SF, defeating world No. 2 Federer en route (l. to Djokovic). He has fallen at the QF stage in his last two visits: 2012 (l. to Nadal) and 2013 (l. to Tsonga).
• Wawrinka has compiled a 17-3 record this season, opening his year with titles in Chennai (d. Roger-Vasselin) and at the Australian Open. In Melbourne, Wawrinka posted three top 10 wins in a row – No. 2 Djokovic, No, 7 Berdych and No. 1 Nadal – en route to his maiden Grand Slam victory. His 13-match winning streak came to an end at the hands of Kevin Anderson in the 4R at Indian Wells. In Miami, the Swiss fell to the in-form Dolgopolov in the 4R also.
• Wawrinka’s QF victory over Aljaz Bedene in Chennai this year was his 300th victory on the ATP World Tour. He became just the fourth Swiss player to reach the landmark after Roger Federer (923), Marc Rosset (433) and Jakob Hlasek (432).
• Wawrinka enjoyed a standout season in 2013. The Swiss native won a personal-best 51 matches (nine vs. top 10 opponents) and was the lone new addition to the year-end top 10. His prize money total of $2,880,925 was his highest return in a single season.
• Wawrinka reached the QF or better on 14 different occasions in 2013, including a SF appearance at the US Open. The 28-year-old was also just one of three players, including Rafael Nadal and David Ferrer, to end the year with 20+ wins on both clay and hard courts.
• Wawrinka is bidding to reach his fifth ATP Masters 1000 SF (4-8 in QFs). He is also looking to reach the SF in Monte-Carlo for the second time (1-2 in QFs here).
• Raonic advanced to the Monte-Carlo QF for the first time with wins over Yen-Hsun Lu (6-7(4), 6-2, 6-1) and Tommy Robredo (6-4, 6-3). He leads the way this week in aces hit with 26. He is also second, behind Federer, in points won on first serve with 85% (70 of 82).
• Raonic is making his fourth appearance in Monte-Carlo. His best showing prior to this week came on his debut in 2011 when he advanced to the 3R (l. to Ferrer).
• Raonic climbed back inside the top 10 in the Emirates ATP Rankings earlier this month after back-to-back QF appearances in Indian Wells (d. No. 6 Murray, l. to Dolgopolov) and Miami (l. to Nadal). He spent one week at No. 10 in August last year after his run to the SF in Montreal. Indian Wells was Raonic’s first outing since suffering a left ankle injury at the Australian Open (l. to Dimitrov in 3R).
• The top Canadian became the first player from his country and the first player born in the 1990s to crack the top 10 when he broke through on August 12 last year. He finished the season at a year-end high No. 11 in the Emirates ATP Rankings, highlighted by titles in San Jose, Bangkok and a maiden appearance in an ATP World Tour Masters 1000 final in Montreal (l. to Nadal).
• Raonic is contesting his third ATP World Tour Masters 1000 QF of the season and sixth overall. He is bidding to reach his second ever Masters 1000 SF after Montreal last year (d. Pospisil in SF, l. to Nadal in F). He is 1-4 in QFs at this level.

• Nadal clinched his 300th win on clay and 50th in Monte-Carlo with a 6-1, 6-3 victory over Andreas Seppi. The Spaniard kick started his bid for a ninth Monte-Carlo crown with a 6-4, 6-1 win over qualifier Teymuraz Gabashvili in his opening match.
• Nadal became the 11th player in the Open Era to reach 300 wins on clay. Countryman Carlos Moya was the last player to win at least 300 career matches on the surface in 2007. Guillermo Vilas leads the way with 644 wins but Nadal’s win percentage of .935 is the best ever on clay.
• Nadal is 10 for 10 on BP opportunities this week (5/5 vs Gabashvili and 5/5 vs Seppi). Federer is the only other remaining player with a 100% record on BP opportunities this week.
• Nadal is making his 11th appearance in Monte-Carlo. After falling to Guillermo Coria in the 3R on his debut in 2003, the Spaniard went on to clinch eight titles in a row from 2005-2012. His reign in the Principality came to an end in last year’s final when he lost to Djokovic. That loss also brought an end to Nadal’s 81-match winning streak on clay in the month of April.
• Nadal and Djokovic hold all nine ATP World Tour Masters 1000 titles between them, as well as the Barclays ATP World Tour Finals: Monte Carlo 2013 (Djokovic), Madrid 2013 (Nadal), Rome 2013 (Nadal), Montreal 2013 (Nadal), Cincinnati 2013 (Nadal), Shanghai 2013 (Djokovic), Paris 2013 (Djokovic), Barclays ATP World Tour Finals in London 2013 (Djokovic), Indian Wells 2014 (Djokovic) and Miami (Djokovic).
• Nadal opened the season by defeating Gael Monfils to clinch the title in Doha. Qatar was the 17th different country the Spaniard had lifted an ATP title in. In chronological order, he had previously won in Poland, Brazil, Mexico, Monaco, Spain, Italy, France, Sweden, Germany, Canada, China, U.A.E., U.S., England, Australia and Japan. He went on to reach the Australian Open final (d. No. 6 Federer in SF, l. to Wawrinka in F).
• Nadal collected his 43rd clay-court title and 62nd overall when he defeated Dolgopolov in the inaugural Rio Open in February. The Spaniard equaled Guillermo Vilas in seventh place on the Open Era titles list with the victory.
• At Indian Wells, Nadal advanced to the 3R where he was upset in three sets by Dolgopolov. He bounced back to reach the final in Miami (l. to Djokovic).
• Nadal appeared in a career-high 14 finals in 2013, winning 10 titles. He returned to No. 1 in the Emirates ATP Rankings on Oct. 7 and finished the season in top spot for the third time.
• In 2013, Nadal became the first player to win 35+ matches on both clay and hard in a season.
• Nadal has been ranked in the top five longer than any active player (since May 9, 2005) and his total of 62 career titles is the second-best among active players (Federer 77).
• Nadal was named as the recipient of the Laureus World Comeback of the Year award at a ceremony in Kuala Lumpur in March. It was his third Laureus statuette overall. He also won the Laureus Sport of the Year award in 2011 and the Newcomer of the Year award in 2006.
• Nadal is contesting his 62nd ATP World Tour Masters 1000 QF and second of the season (after Miami). He is bidding to reach his 53rd ATP World Tour Masters 1000 SF (52-9 in M1000 QFs). He has a 9-0 record in Monte-Carlo QFs.
• Ferrer advanced to his seventh Monte-Carlo QF with back-to-back straight set wins over Jeremy Chardy and Grigor Dimitrov. He has won 63% of games on return this week (10 of 16), the exact same number as Nadal.
• Ferrer returns to Monte-Carlo for the 10th time. He reached the QF here six times prior to this year with his best showing coming in 2011 when he advanced to the final (l. to Nadal).
• Ferrer ended a seven-match losing streak in ATP finals when he defeated Fabio Fognini to clinch his third successive crown in Buenos Aires in February. The Spaniard reached the SF in Auckland (l. to Lu) and the QF in Melbourne (l. to Berdych) in January.
• On 27 February, Ferrer retired with left abductor strain at 6-2, 2-4 versus Kevin Anderson in the QF at Acapulco; he subsequently withdrew from the ATP World Tour Masters 1000 Indian Wells. He recovered in time to play Miami, falling to Kei Nishikori in the 4R.
• Ferrer finished the 2013 season at a year-end best No. 3 in the Emirates ATP Rankings. It was the third year in a row he finished inside the top five and also the fourth straight year in which he won at least 55 matches. The 31-year-old played an ATP-high 84 matches during the season.
• Ferrer is looking to reach his 13th ATP World Tour Masters 1000 SF (12-20 in QFs) and third in Monte-Carlo (2-4 in QFs here). He is also bidding to end a 5-match losing streak against the top 10.

• Tsonga reached his third Monte-Carlo QF with a 5-7, 6-3, 6-0 win over the in-form Fabio Fognini. The Frenchman opened his account with a 6-4, 1-6, 6-4 victory over Philipp Kohlschreiber.
• Tsonga is making his fifth appearance in Monte-Carlo. His best showing came last year when he reached the SF (l. to Nadal).
• Tsonga reached his lone final this season on home soil in Marseille in February (l. to Gulbis) before advancing to the QF in Dubai (l. to Berdych). He opened his year at the Australian Open where he reached the R16 (l. to Federer).
• At Indian Wells, Tsonga fell in his opening match to compatriot Benneteau, a result which saw him drop down to No. 11 in the Emirates ATP Rankings on March 17 – his first week outside the top 10 since August 29, 2011. He reached the 4R in Miami (l. to Murray).
• Tsonga finished 2013 in the top 10 for the third year in a row and for the fifth time in six years, reaching the QF or better 10 times.
• Tsonga is bidding to reach his seventh ATP World Tour Masters 1000 SF (6-12 in QFs) and second in Monte-Carlo (1-1 in QFs here).
• Federer advanced to his 66th ATP Masters 1000 QF with a 6-4, 6-1 win over Lukas Rosol. The Swiss opened his account with a 6-1, 6-2 victory over Radek Stepanek, his first clay win of 2014.
• Federer is 8 for 8 on BP opportunities this week (4/4 vs Rosol and 4/4 vs Stepanek). Nadal is the only other remaining player with a 100% record on BP opportunities this week.
• Federer also won back-to-back matches against Czechs Stepanek and Rosol in Dubai in Feb.
• Federer is bidding for his 950th win today (949-219). His 26 wins are the most on Tour this year.
• Federer is playing Monte-Carlo for the 11th time and for the first time since 2011. He reached the final here in 2006, 2007 and 2008, falling to Nadal each time. He has never won the title here.
• Federer clinched his first title of the season and 78th overall in Dubai in February (d. world No. 2 Djokovic in SF and No. 6 Berdych in F). The Swiss moved clear of John McEnroe (77 titles) into third place on the all-time title list with the win, behind Jimmy Connors (109) and Ivan Lendl (94).
• Federer advanced to his 116th ATP World Tour final and his 35th at ATP World Tour Masters 1000 level at Indian Wells before falling to No. 2 seed Djokovic in three sets. In Miami, he was upset in three sets by Kei Nishikori in the QF.
• Federer opened his season with a run to the final in Brisbane (l. to Hewitt). At the Australian Open, he defeated No. 10 Tsonga and No. 4 Murray en route to the SF (l. to No. 1 Nadal).
• In 2013, Federer became the oldest player to finish a season inside the top 10 since Andre Agassi (35) in 2005. He was also the first player since Pete Sampras (1990-2001) to finish in the top 10 for 12 years in a row. His streak of 11 straight years inside the top five came to an end, however.
• Federer is bidding to reach his 50th ATP World Tour Masters 1000 SF and second of the season. He is also looking to reach his fourth SF in Monte-Carlo (3-3 in QFs here).

• Garcia-Lopez extended his winning run to eight matches with a 4-6, 6-3, 6-1 upset of No. 5 seed Tomas Berdych. He saw off wild card Benjamin Balleret and the in-form Alexandr Dolgopolov in his opening two rounds.
• Garcia-Lopez is making his fifth appearance in Monte-Carlo. His previous best showing was a 3R appearance in 2007 (l. to Kohlschreiber).
• Garcia-Lopez won his third career title in Casablanca last week (d. Granollers), ending a four-year title drought. He has reached two QFs this season also in Auckland (l. to Ferrer) and Vina del Mar (l. to Giraldo).
• Garcia-Lopez clinched his 200th career win when he defeated Gael Monfils in the 2R in Miami last month (l. to Raonic in 3R).
• Garcia-Lopez finished 2013 in the top 80 for the sixth year in a row (ninth straight in top 100).
• Garcia-Lopez is bidding to reach his first ATP Masters 1000 SF. His only previous QF appearance at this level came in Shanghai in 2010 when he defeated No. 11 Andy Roddick and No. 7 Tomas Berdych before falling to Djokovic in the QF.
• Garcia-Lopez is now 10-32 versus top 10 opponents after his win over Berdych. His highest ranked win came over world No. 1 Rafael Nadal in Bangkok in 2010.
• Djokovic dropped just two games in two matches to advance to his 52nd ATP World Tour Masters 1000 QF. The Serb opened his account with an impressive 6-1, 6-0 win over qualifier Albert Montanes before defeating lucky loser Pablo Carreno Busta 6-0, 6-1. He has spent just over one hour and 33 minutes on court this week.
• Djokovic is making his eighth appearance in Monte-Carlo. He lifted his maiden crown here last year, ending Nadal’s 8-year reign in the final. He has reached the SF or better in his last five visits.
• Djokovic arrives in Europe after a successful March in the U.S. The Serb completed the Indian Wells/Miami sweep for the second time in his career, defeating Roger Federer in the BNP Paribas Open final before seeing off Rafael Nadal in the Sony Open Tennis final. He surpassed Andre Agassi in both Masters 1000 titles (18) and Masters 1000 match wins (210) with his Miami win.
• Djokovic’s other competitive outings this year came at the Australian Open (l. to eventual champ Wawrinka in QF) and Dubai (l. to eventual champ Federer in SF).
• Djokovic finished 2013 in the top three for the seventh year in a row, winning seven titles in nine finals (2nd-most in career). He ended the year on a 24-match winning streak.
• Djokovic has won the last four ATP World Tour Masters 1000 events – Shanghai, Paris, Indian Wells and Miami – as well as the Barclays ATP World Tour Finals in London.
• Djokovic is bidding to reach his 40th ATP World Tour Masters 1000 SF (39-12 in QFs). He is also looking to reach his sixth SF in Monte-Carlo (5-0 in QFs here).